2012: The Year It Didn't Happen

As we enter the new-year, it may be worthwhile to reflect on 2012.  Please see the article below written by Weston Wellington, Vice President with Dimensional Fund Advisors, entitled “2012:  The Year It Didn’t Happen.”  The article reminds us that, as is so often the case, earning the rewards offered by the world’s capital markets requires a combination of discipline and detachment from the ominous headlines that we are bombarded with daily.  I hope that you find the article worthwhile.  

We at Portfolio Advisors wish you the very best that 2013 can offer, and we remain here to serve you.   

Warm Regards

The Portfolio Advisors Team 

Important Year-End Information

If you have not already received your 1099 Composite and Year-End Summary for your respective accounts for 2012, it should arrive from Charles Schwab no later than the end of February.  Should you have any questions regarding your Portfolio Report or your 1099 statement, please do not hesitate to call us. We also request that once you have completed your 2012 tax return that you provide us with a copy so that we may better advise you.

Warm Regards, 

The Portfolio Advisors Team 

Here’s a Map to Basic Fundamental Financial Planning

We just came across a great Financial Planning Flowchart that was published in the December 20 issue of Business Week.  It was put together by the Business Week team of Nick Summers and Karen Wise with input from Milo Benningfield, a San Francisco-based financial planner; Eleanor Blayney, consumer advocate for the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards; Tim Steffen, Director of Financial Planning and Wealth Management at Robert W. Baird; Maria Bruno a senior investment analyst at Vanguard Group and Meir Statman, finance professor at Santa Clara University.

The chart does a nice job of mapping out basic financial planning tenets and touches on debt management, retirement planning and insurance needs.   We thought you might find it worthwhile in your planning for 2013 and perhaps even a little fun.  

Please check it out at the link below:

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-12-20/the-financial-planning-flowchart

The Top Ten Money Excuses

In his article, “The Top Ten Money Excuses,” Dimensional Funds Vice President Jim Parker suggests that we often deceive ourselves when it comes to our own money. How can this happen, one might ask? It can happen by constructing a façade of logical-sounding arguments that can often lead to decisions that are counter to our own long-term interests. Read on to learn about those top ten arguments and excuses along with how to avoid them.

 

Portfolio Advisors' On-line Tools for Your Financial Questions

From time to time, you may have the need to calculate the cost of a loan, or you may need to calculate the impact of increasing or decreasing contributions to your retirement plan.   You may be interested in knowing if it is better to lease or buy a new vehicle.  Perhaps you are curious about whether an auto rebate is a preferable choice versus securing a lower interest rate. 

A wide variety of on-line tools can be found on our website and can be helpful with these and other common financial questions.  In addition to those mentioned, you can also find a 1040 tax calculator, an amortizing loan calculator and a Roth IRA Conversion calculator to name a few.  These useful tools can all be found on the Portfolio Advisors website at Online Tools.       

While these tools can be a useful resource, they are not intended to replace professional advice.  Your advisor is always willing to assist you with these and other services that you may require.  Please feel free to contact us at any time at 559 432 8400 or by visiting our website at www.portadvisors.com .

Sharing the Wealth: The Case for Equities

Quiz Question: What do these companies have in common—Whitbread of the United Kingdom, Molson Coors of North America, Qantas of Australia, Honda of Japan, and Adidas of Germany?

Dimensional Funds Vice President, Jim Parker, provides the answer in his column “Sharing the Wealth:  The Case for Equities”.

Special Announcement

Portfolio Advisors, Inc. is proud to announce that Tina Mistry has completed her financial planning training and has passed the CFP® Certification Exam.  She has obtained her Certified Financial Planner^TM certification, demonstrating that she has met the standards required by the CFP® Board.

As a result, Tina’s role with the firm will be expanded from that of Support Advisor to Financial Advisor.  In her new capacity, Tina will have more direct client involvement and will also assist clients directly in the financial planning process.  

Tina graduated from California State University, Fresno in May, 2007 where she received a B.S. in Business with an emphasis on finance.  She began her career with Portfolio Advisors in April, 2006, serving as an administrative assistant and then became a support advisor in January, 2009. 

We hope that you join us in congratulating Tina and wishing her much success in her new role.